Foam control device in liquid dispensing apparatus



1960 R. T. CORNELIUS 2,924,238

FOAM CONTROL DEVICE IN LIQUID DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 17, 1954 1.] ill'llllm' 4 es eo- 9 nos FIG.2

IBIIOI ORNEYS 2,924,238 FOAM CONTROL DEVICE IN LIQUID DISPENSING APPARATUS Richard T. Cornelius, Minneapolis, Minn. Application August 17, 1954, Serial No. 450,454

1 Claim. (Cl. 137-600) The herein disclosed invention relates to liquid dispensing apparatus and more particularly to devices for controlling the amount of foam produced and delivered with effervescent liquids when such liquids are dispensed under pressure.

An object of the invention resides in providing a foam control device which will effectively, selectively, and accurately regulate the amount of foam produced and delivered with effervescent liquids when such liquids are dispensed under pressure.

A further object of the invention resides in providing a foam control device which may be readily disassembled and reassembled for cleansing and repair.

A further object of the invention resides in providing a foam control device which is adapted to ready adjustment at the place where the liquid is dispensed.

A further object of the invention resides in providing a foam control device which may be mounted on a cooling cabinet, incorporated in a liquid dispensing device on a wall, or on a similar structure, or which may be attached to a liquid conduit.

A further object of the invention resides in constructing the foam control device with a body having a longitudinally horizontally extending tapered bore for the reception of a slidably mounted tapered core and in providing an adjusting mechanism coacting with the said core to prolduce longitudinal movement of said core relative to said ore.

A further object of the invention resides in constructing the foam control device in a manner such that the adjusting mechanism is retained within the body of the foam control device when the core is removed from the said body for cleansing or repair.

A further object of the invention resides in constructing the adjusting mechanism with a rotatable crank slidable along the axis of rotation of said crank and adapted to be retracted along said axis to permit withdrawal of the core from the body.

A further object of the invention resides in providing an adjusting mechanism which is sensitive to slight changes in adjustment and which reduces localized wear and consequent inaccuracies in adjustment.

A further object of the invention resides in providing an adjusting mechanism which may be rapidly replaced in its entirety upon failure of any of its components without the necessity of disassembling other parts of the foam control device.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter illustrated and/or described.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the foam control device mounted on a wall of a cooling cabinet and coupled to a beverage dispenser faucet, and illustrating an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan sectional view of the foam control device taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1 and drawn to a greater scale.

' nited States Patent 0 sign. The foam control device includes a body having a here for the passage of a liquid therethrough, said bore being formed with a frusto-conical portion. A core having a frusto-conical portion is slidably received within the bore, with the frusto-conical portion of the core disposed within the frusto-conical section of the bore to form a restricted annular passageway therebetween. Sliding movement of the core within the-bore is produced by the adjusting mechanism, which includes a crank shaft, rotatable and slidable in a bearing mounted on the body. A

crank pin is formed at one end of the crank shaft, and an adjusting knob accessible from the exterior of the body is mounted on the other end of the crank shaft. The crank pin is resiliently urged into an annular groove on the core forming shoulders engageabletherewith. Rotation of the adjusting knob imparts rotary movement to the crank P111,

which coacts with the shoulders on the core to impart reciprocating motion to the core, varying the cross sectional area of the passageway between the frusto-conical surfaces of the core and the bore, thus producingcorresponding variation in the pressure of the liquid at the ends of the passageway. Movement of the adjusting knob along the bearing and away from the body disengages the crank pin from the shoulders in the core, thereby releasing the core for withdrawal from the bore when the faucet is;

detached from the foam control device and adjusting mechanism to permit cleansing or repair of the foam control device and adjusting mechanism. 1

The instant invention is shown incorporated in a foam control device 16 which is to be attached to a liquid supply conduit, not illustrated, at its intake end and ma faucet 17 at its outlet end. The foam control device 16 is adapted for mounting on the wall of a cooling cabinet or similar fiat surface and is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as mounted on a wall 11 of a cooling cabinet 10. The wall 11 of the cooling cabinet 10 consists of a layer of insulating material 12 disposed between a liner 13 and an outer shell 14. A hole 15 formed in the wall 11 extends through said wall and is adapted to receive a portion of the foam control device 16.

The invention may be used with a faucet of any desired type. The faucet 17 is similar to that described in Letters pling 21, said enlargement forming a shoulder 31 whichv serves as a valve seat. 7 A valve plunger 28 is received within the passageway 22, and a valve member 29 mounted on said valve plunger 28 is disposed within the enlarged portion 23 of said passageway. An operating handle 30 is pivotally mounted in the body 18 and is connected to the valve plunger 28 to move the said plunger and valve member axially along the passageway 22. Such movement of the plunger 28 also moves said valve member 29 into and out of engagement with the valve seat 31 and thus opens or closes the passageway 22 to the flow of liquid therethrough.

The foam control device 16 is mounted in the cabinet 10 invthe following manner: Said foam control device Patented Feb. 9, 1960 isformed with a-cylindrical body 24 having an outwardly extending. portion 25 and a shank 36 of lesser diameter than said outwardly extending portion to form a shoulder 40 'therebet'we'eni" NIcollarfiTencircles jtlie shank 36 and has a flfat face38 'engaging the=outer shell 14 of the "cooling cabinet 10; Theicolla'r -37 .is-formcd with a'recess 54 iri which 'is disposed agasket SS engaging the shoulder 40. A nut 41 engages threads 42.:frmed.

on thefdam-control device shank 36. WhenEtheamit 41 is tightened onthe threads 42, said nut is seatedagainst the line'r 13 of the-cabinet; and the shoulder 40 is drawn against the gasketSS of the collar 37; to seat said collan againstthe outer shell 14-of the cabinet," thus. holdihgthe foam control device positioned on. the

devicebody 24,-and keyways 33 formed in thejnipple,

46 of-said outwardly extending portion slidably receive keys 47 formed in the socket 32 of the. faucet 17 to prevent rotation of the foam control device 16 relativeIto the faucet 17; A gasket '53 is disposed within the socket... 32 of the faucet 17and'is-seated against a shoulder 35,.

formed-in the coupling-=21atthe end of theJsockets32f of" faucet17- and against-the end 52.0f-thenipp1e 46. When the nut 43 is "tightened on threads 49' formedon the coupling 21" of the faucet 17, the foam control devicebody 24;is drawn toward the sho ulder 351013 the faucet 17, compressing the gasket 53 to, form; a gas and'liquid tight seal between the foamcontrol device 16 and the faucet 17. Recesses 50. are formed inthe nut 43 to receive the stud of a spanner. wrench-to. be. used in tightening" said nut.

The outwardly extending portion 25 of the. foam con.- trol device body 24 and the'foam control devicesh'ank 36 are formed 'with a-bore 56 extendingalong the .axis of said body throughout the length thereof. 'The 'bore 56 is constructed with a frusto-conical or tapering bore section 64' disposed intermediate a guide section 7 0. having a cylindricalwall 69 "and a discharge sectionfllalso having a cylindrical wall 71. An intake section'75 of the. bore 56 "opens outwardlyat the inlet 7 end .of the foam control device shank 36'to communicate with aliq'uid supply conduit, not illustrated, and the guide section 70.. Said liquid supply conduit is coupled to thefoarn control.

device 16 by meansof the threads 42 previously referred The foam control device 16includes a core .57 .which is slidablyreceivedwithin the bore 56 0f. the foam con-z trol device body 24. Thiscore. has. 'a frusto-con'icalor tapering portion 60 which is disposed within the fr'usto conical bore section 64-..ofi the. bore 56 to form a restricted'annular passageway. 63::for the transmission ofv liquid thereb'etween, said passageway being variable, upon.

movement of the core! A flange 65 'is formed. atfthe discharge end of'the core 57.; andhas an annular. groove 67-" therein providing facing. shoulders. 96: and. 97 in'said flange. A stud-'58::is formedat the inlet endofthe core:

57, and a crowfoot guide 59.havinglegs 61:is:mounte'd bo'ie' to support l and guide .the cor'e 57 within the 1 bore 56 and to maintainsaid' core in "coaxial alignment withv of 'the bore 56, and which has a cylindrical intermediate portion- 118= adjoining the larger-end of :the 0 portion 60- saidfbore. Disposed e'ntermediate the frusto 'conical "pen. tion- '60 and"theflange;65 of the core '57 -is=a shank'73} having a smaller diameter than the-discharge"section-72- anda seconclfrusto-conical or tapering portion 119 connected at its larger end to the portion 118 and providing thereby a restricted annular passageway 62 for the transmission of liquid between the shank 73 and the bore 56 and which is not varied upon movement of the core. A passageway 51 formedjmthecore 57 opens outwardly into the discharge section 72 of'the bore 56 of the foam control device {body 24.; Said passageway extends into the core 57 to communicate'with'jpassageway 62 through holes 74 formed in the core 57.,

Axial movement -of"the core '57"in the bore 56 is obtained by adjusting mechanism 78; which is mounted on the outwardly extending portion 25 of the foam control device body 24'. For this purpose said outwardly extending portion 25 is constructed with a socket 79 adapted to receive a threaded boss 80 which is brazed to said outwardly extending portion, A plug 81 having threads 82' is" cr'ewe'd iritofthehoss80'and into n a portion offtliebutwardly e'x eaaiagpmion'es of foam control.

d'vic'e body24: The bf the bdss 80,isno rmal were axis of the" foam" control device 1 bore "56: Plug 81 is constructed with flats 84 adapted to recei ve a wrench to be used in screwing*-th'e pIug-f 81'into the bosjs 80.

Plug 81 is con tructed: withbearing means 86 including a bearing f swwnim rotatamy l "alnijl slidably supports a; crank sh'a'ft' 93; Said be'a'ring'"means further utilizes plug 81 which is further formed with a guideway90 having a cylind'rical wall91'conceiitrie with the anger the bear ing 87; said cyl'indricafwall 91 forming a "recess 92 at its. inner end. Thef'cra'nkfshaft93fha 'a guide 94-af itsinhe'r-en'd -which engag eswhe uideway 90 This guide has n qandyin which is received The guide 94 s erves as 'afer'ank arm and has extending therefrom 'an' engaginj member in the. form 'bfa cam or crank-pin 95 which is disposed on said' g'uide 94 so that no part of said crank pin 95 extends radially relative to the axis of A crank shaftj'93 f'beyond' the'-circi1mference' of said guide 94. Crank shaft 91 is formed with a knurled end 98" extending outwardly from the plug '81; An operating knob 109 "having a 're'ce'ss Fadapted 'to receivethe knurled end 9 8 of the crank? shaft' 93 *is pressed on 'said knurledend: *A 'fib'er thrust 'washei*"108 encircles the crank shaft 93 and is disposed between the operating knob '109 and "the? outer end "89 i of 1 p1ug' 81.f A washer 102 constructed of rubber 'flor" other resilient material encircles the": crank shaft 93"'and "i s" "seaft'ed against are bearing 87 "oftheplug' 81.' A nietal'spring seat103jalso encircles the crankshaft 93 anjd is*seatedfa'gainst the wash'erf 102: A 'cenrpre'ssion coil "spring-105encircles thecrank "shaft 93' andis disposed between the washer 103 and tlieguide941T"This spring coacts with thefspring seat 103 and with the' guide'94and seivesas sprin -means to resiliently urge the crank shaft 93 inwardalo'ng the crankshaft- 93 in the g oove 67' of the core 57. Axial movement of 'the crank 'shaft '93ffinward' is limited by the operating knob 109 whic'li 'beai's'againstftlieE'fiber thrustwasher '108 andseats said fiber thrust washer 108 against the outerend 89 of theplug 81. The-crank shaft93 and the cfank pin'95 serve as actuating means for moving section 70, between the legs 61 of the crowfoot guide 59; through the restricted annillar. passageways 63 and 62, through the holes 741 in the core 57; through the bore 51 of the core 57, and out of the foam controLde'.

vice 16 through the discharge section 72 of the bore 56. Rotation of the operating knob 109 imparts rotation to the crank shaft 93 and to the crank pin 95 formed thereon. The crank pin 95 bears on the shoulder 96 or shoulder 97 of the core 57 to displace said core 57 in the direction of rotation of the operating knob 109, thus moving the frusto-conical portion 60 of the core 57 toward or away from the frusto-conical portion 64 of the foam control device bore 56. This movement of the frusto-conical portion 60 of the core 57 relative to the frusto-conical portion 64 of the bore 56 varies the cross-section area of the passageway 63 between the frusto-conical sections of the core and bore, thus producing corresponding variation in the pressure of the liquid at the ends of the passageway. The operating knob 109 is provided with a milled rim 111 and with an index mark 107 to facilitate this adjustment.

Movement of the operating knob 109 along the axis of the plug 81 and away from the foam control device body 24 compresses compression coil spring 105 and moves the attached crank shaft 93 and the crank pin 95 along the axis of said plug 81 to retract the crank pin 95 entirely within the confines of recess 92 of guideway 90, thus disengaging the crank pin 95 from the groove 67 of the core 57. Inasmuch as no part of crank pin 95 extends radially outwardly beyond the circumference of guide 94, retraction of crank pin 95 into the recess 92 at the end of guideway 90 is possible with crank pin 95 rotated to any position. With the crank pin 95 disengaged from the groove 67, the core 57 is released for withdrawal from the bore 56 of the foam control device 16 when the faucet 17 is detached from said foam control device to permit cleansing or repair of the same and adjusting mechanism 78.

The advantages of the invention are manifest. The device is extremely simple and practical in construction, easy to operate, and is adapted to machine production. The device is adjusted at the place where the liquid is dispensed, permitting ready observation of the amount of foam being delivered with the liquid. By unscrewing the nut 43 the faucet 17 may be removed from the foam control device 16 without dismounting said foam control device. By moving the operating knob 109 out and away from the foam control device body 24, the core 57 is free from the adjusting mechanism 78 and may be withdrawn from the foam control device body 24 for cleaning or repair of said core and foam control device without dismounting the body of the control device. By unscrewing the threaded plug 81, the entire foam control adjusting mechanism 78 may be removed as a unit from the foam control device body 24 without dismounting said foam control device body. A further advantage of the invention resides in the incorporation of the crank pin which serves as a cam in the adjusting mechanism 78 to prevent binding and seizing of the core 57 and the adjusting mechanism 78 and to obtain sensitive response of the mechanism to slight changes in the adjustment thereof.

Changes in the specific form of the invention, as herein described, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to'be protected by Letters Patent is:

In a dispensing device for dispensing carbonated beverages under pressure and having a faucet, the combination of a shank having a bore therethrough connected at its intake end to a source of beverage under pressure and at its outlet end to said faucet, said bore having a tapered section at its intake end diverging toward the outlet end of said shank and a cylindrical section extending toward the outlet end of substantially the same diameter as the greatest diameter of said tapered section and lying in continuation of the tapered section, a core received within said bore, means for guiding said core for axial movement along said bore, said core having a tapered portion received in the tapered section of the bore and forming therewith a restricted passageway variable upon movement of the core, said core having a cylindrical portion disposed within the cylindrical section of the bore and spaced therefrom to form a fixed restricted passageway therebetween, said core having a second tapered portion of lesser taper than said first named tapered portion at the end of said cylindrical portion opposite said first named tapered portion and converging toward the outlet end of said shank and received in said cylindrical section to form a third restricted passageway of fixed progressively decreasing restriction, and means acting between said shank and core and moving said core relative to the shank to vary the restriction of said first named restricted passageway.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 234,395 Dickey Nov. 16, 1880 1,010,665 Miller Dec. 5, 1911 1,563,916 Nieberding Dec. 1, 1925 2,006,688 Schmiedeknecht July 2, 1935 2,119,383 Cornelius May 31, 1938 2,162,842 Dolison June 20, 1939 2,173,979 Picut Sept. 26, 1939 2,236,619 Cornelius Apr. 1, 1941 2,575,658 Nero NOV. 20, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 702,095 Germany Ian. 30, 1941 

